PHOTON ENERGY, CEPHEUS, laser marking system with UKPL (ultra-short pulse) picosecond laser

PHOTON ENERGY GmbH produces OEM laser beam sources for industrial laser material processing and laser marking systems.

Ultra short pulse picosecond laser for extraordinarily high marking contrasts and micromachining

PHOTON ENERGY, CEPHEUS, laser marking system with UKPL (ultra-short pulse) picosecond laser

In order to obtain exceptionally high marking contrasts and to be able to process almost all materials, PHOTON ENERGY has developed the picosecond laser CEPHEUS. The great advantages of markings with this diode-pumped, mode-locked solid-state laser are the ultra-short pulse durations of the energy beam. These allow non-linear multiphoton absorption processes, which makes material processing largely independent of the laser wavelength. In other words, the unique quality of markings on a variety of materials is largely dependent on this extremely short pulse duration in combination with the high pulse peak power at which there is almost no temperature change on the surface.

This means that almost all materials can be processed, even those that are transparent at the laser wavelength. Another advantage of the ultrashort laser pulses is the "cold ablation" of the material, which is not based on the generation of heat, such as nanosecond lasers. The generated nanostructure on the surface serves as a light trap, whereby a significantly increased contrast and also a higher black level are achieved. Further, there is no reflective angle (shine) which causes the mark to appear in varying contrast or changing colour as the angle of incidence and viewing angle changes. The marking is therefore always dull black. Another advantage of processing with the CEPHEUS is the hydrophobic property of the label.

For this reason, PHOTON ENERGY's CEPHEUS picosecond laser is used for all laser processing processes in which damage from melting, deformation or discoloration due to heat input is undesirable and a maximum optical stability of the marking is required.

The CEPHEUS has the highest pulse peak energy available on the market and thus ensures less material removal per laser pulse. This significantly increases the precision, resulting in sharper marking edges and more precise material processing.

In summary, PHOTON ENERGY's CEPHEUS markers have the following advantages over other UKPL and longer pulsed lasers, such as nanosecond fibre laser sources or Nd: YAG lasers. Faster marking due to higher pulse peak powers and shorter pulses

1. More uniform marking due to surface structure change (light trap) instead of tempering by means of energy input by temperature
2. Consistent contrast (light trap) at changing light incidence and viewing angle
3. Higher resistance of the marking during abrasive, chemical and radiation exposure
4. No fading or corrosion of the marking during passivation, sterilization and autoclaving
5. Almost all materials can be marked, including thin foils, all metals, all non-ferrous metals, all precious metals, all thermoplastics, all thermosets, most elastomers, glass (surface or glass without surface damage), diamond, lacquer coatings, etc.
6. Surface of the label has hydrophobic (water-repellent) properties
7. Validated, FDA-compliant short-pulse marking

We hope that this information has aroused your interest. Please contact me at any time for questions, to coordinate a visit and to coordinate pattern markings.